BURSTIf Canadian star quarterback Kurtis Rourke and the Indiana Hoosiers want to extend their Cinderella season, they’ll have to overcome one of the NCAA’s best defences in a hostile environment.
Nearly one month after they couldn’t accomplish a similar task, the 10th-seeded Hoosiers will get another try on Friday against the No. 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in an all-Indiana opener of the College Football Playoff.
Rourke was held to 68 yards passing in a 38-15 loss to an Ohio State team featuring the top-ranked defence in the NCAA on Nov. 23 before 105,000-plus fans at Ohio Stadium.
Notre Dame is ranked third in the country defensively, giving up just 13.6 points per game. The perennial national power is also third in passing yards allowed.
A Friday Night Lights crowd promises to make things quite challenging for a Hoosiers team that struggled in pass protection while going to a silent count to deal with the noise at Ohio State.
Having been through that experience, Rourke feels the Hoosiers will be better equipped this time out.
“I think Ohio State was a really good learning opportunity for us and the team. Being able to play in that environment, knowing how loud it will be and how we’ll have to maintain that focus on what our job is,” the native of Oakville, Ont., who transferred from smaller Ohio University for his final NCAA season, said in a video conference with Canadian media last week.
“I do expect it to be a great environment, it’s going to be a sold-out crowd and it’s going to be a really awesome opportunity for us. Just learning from OSU and knowing we have to focus on us and block out the noise.”
Indiana coach Curt Cignetti also said the team won’t use a silent count this time.
No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Boise State and No. 4 Arizona State get byes to the quarterfinals, while the eight remaining teams in the expanded playoff square off this weekend.
Here’s a look at the first four matchups, along with betting lines (as of Thursday afternoon).
No. 10 Indiana (11-1) at No. 7 Notre Dame (11-1), Friday, 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT
Brash first-year coach Cignetti (“I win, Google me“) has backed up his words with results. The 63-year-old football lifer from Pittsburgh was named AP’s NCAA coach of the year after lifting Indiana to new heights. While the Hoosiers did catch some scheduling breaks, they piled up the points in many games and were breathing easy on Selection Sunday.
The Fighting Irish won their final 10 games of the season after a stunning loss against upstart Northern Illinois at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame went 4-0 against teams ranked in the top 25 at the time.
There’s a chance of scattered snow and temperatures are supposed to dip well below freezing.
“I hope it snows a foot and a half. We have a Canadian quarterback,” Cignetti said. “Did you see him throw the ball (in the snow) against Purdue? This guy grew up like in the frigid north. He looked pretty good to me that night. So I don’t think it’s going to bother him very much.”
The winner of this game faces Georgia in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
Recent history
Notre Dame made playoff appearances in 2018 and ’20, but lost in the semifinals both times. Marcus Freeman is in his third year as coach, with the Fighting Irish winning non-CFP bowl games the last two years.
Indiana has mostly been terrible in football. Cignetti reignited the program after it averaged three wins the past three seasons under Tom Allen. The Hoosiers had never reached double digits in wins before this year.
The quarterbacks
Rourke threw for 27 touchdowns and just four interceptions, finishing ninth in Heisman Trophy voting.
Notre Dame dual-threat senior Riley Leonard was good for 16 touchdown passes, 721 rushing yards and 14 TDs on the ground. He transferred from Duke for his final season.
Other players to watch
Indiana junior defensive end Mikail Kamara has been one of the most effective players in the country at his position. He played for Cignetti at James Madison before joining his coach at Indiana this year.
Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts has been an all-American the past two seasons. He had a 100-yard pick-six in the regular-season finale against USC.
BetMGM line
Notre Dame is a seven-point favourite.
No. 11 SMU (11-2) at No. 6 Penn State (11-2), Saturday, 12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT
SMU gave up a last-second field goal to underdog Clemson in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game, putting the Mustangs on a worrisome overnight bubble. But SMU’s overall record and narrow loss in a conference championship game was enough to give the first-year ACC squad the final berth over a 9-3 Alabama team that didn’t qualify for the Southeastern Conference championship final.
Penn State gave top-ranked Oregon a scare in the Big Ten final before falling 45-37. The Nittany Lions were seen as a shoo-in for the CFP field before the game, but likely would have been the No. 1 seed had they reversed the outcome.
The winner of this game faces Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Ariz.
Recent history
SMU has gone to bowl games the past five years. Its best season in that stretch came last year when the Mustangs went 11-3 and lost to Boston College in the Fenway Bowl.
Penn State, in its 11th season under coach James Franklin, is appearing in the playoff for the first time since it went to four teams in 2014. The Nittany Lions hit double digits in wins for the third year in a row.
The quarterbacks
Penn State junior Drew Allar was projected to be one of the top five QBs taken in next year’s NFL Draft, but reports earlier this week indicated he plans to return to college. The six-foot-five Medina, Ohio, native threw for 21 touchdowns and rushed for six this year.
After winning a battle for the starting job early in the season, SMU’s Kevin Jennings threw for 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Other players to watch
Penn State DE Abdul Carter is expected to be a high pick in next year’s NFL Draft. He had 10 sacks this season.
SMU RB Brashard Smith was 17th in the country in rushing this season.
BetMGM lines
Penn State is favoured by 8.5 points.
No. 12 Clemson (10-3) at No. 5 Texas (11-2), Saturday, 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT
Clemson appeared to be destined for a non-CFP bowl game after losing to South Carolina in its regular-season finale. But a Miami Hurricanes loss later that day to Syracuse gave Clemson a second life and a berth in the ACC championship. The Tigers took advantage, beating SMU to guarantee a spot in the CFP field.
Texas missed out on a first-round bye, and a possible No. 1 seed, when it lost 22-19 in overtime to a Georgia team that lost starting quarterback Carson Beck in the SEC final. Texas moved to the SEC from the Big 12 this year.
The winner of this game faces Arizona State in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.
Recent history
Clemson is back in the playoff for the first time since a six-year run from 2015-20. Coach Dabo Swinney, at the helm since 2008, guided the Tigers to the national title in 2016 and ’18.
Texas has improved every year since Steve Sarkisian took over in 2021. Last year, the Longhorns lost to Washington in a national semifinal.
The quarterbacks
Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik was third in the nation with 33 touchdown passes against just five interceptions.
Texas junior Quinn Ewers is expected to declare for the NFL Draft and figures to be a top-five QB.
Other players to watch
Linebacker Barrett Carter and wide receiver Antonio Williams are the two all-ACC first team players for Clemson.
Texas left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. is expected to be an early first-round pick next year. He won the Outland Trophy as the best interior lineman in college football.
BetMGM line
Texas is a 12-point favourite.
No. 9 Tennessee (10-2) at No. 8 Ohio State (10-2), Saturday, 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT
Tennessee was 3-1 against top-25 teams at the time this season, with the lone loss against Georgia. The Volunteers beat Alabama 24-17 in a game that likely ended up determining which of these teams would make it.
Ohio State appeared to be headed for a showdown with Oregon in the Big Ten final before a stunning loss at home against heavy underdog Michigan in the regular-season finale. The team’s fourth loss in a row against its bitter rival nearly ended with a brawl after Michigan tried to plant its school flag at the centre of Ohio Stadium. While Ohio State says coach Ryan Day will return next year, he needs a big playoff run to relieve big-time local heat.
The winner of this game faces Oregon in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
Recent history
Tennessee is in the playoff for the first time. Coach Josh Heupel guided the Volunteers to bowl games in his first three years, including wins in the Orange Bowl and Citrus Bowl the past two years.
Ohio State is in the playoff for the fourth time under Day since he took over in 2019, but he hasn’t lifted the championship title yet.
The quarterbacks
Tennessee redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava had a 19-5 TD-INT ratio. The six-foot-six native of Long Beach, Calif., threw four touchdown passes in each of his last two games.
Ohio State’s Will Howard transferred from Kansas State after four seasons. He threw for a career-best 2,860 yards this season.
Players to watch
Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, a transfer from Alabama, anchors the top defence in the country. He’s also a special-teams threat, having returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown against Indiana.
Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson is eighth in the country in rushing this season.
BetMGM line
Ohio State is favoured by 7.5 points.
